How AI Data Centers Are Shaping Allentown’s 2026 House Race, and Why Bob Brooks’ Position Stands Out

What Allentown Voters Should Know About AI Data Centers in 2026

If you live in Allentown, you’re in Pennsylvania’s 7th Congressional District, and AI data centers have become a real issue in the November 3, 2026 House race. These facilities draw enormous amounts of power, and the argument in Washington is over who pays for the grid upgrades they require. Bob Brooks, the Democratic nominee, has spent over two decades serving the Lehigh Valley as a firefighter and union president, and he has spoken publicly about utility costs already being too high for Lehigh Valley households. That is the lens he brings to the data center debate: Brooks opposes letting data centers raise energy costs while out-of-state corporations get rich.

Where Bob Brooks Stands on Data Centers and Your Utility Bill

Brooks says the federal government should never take the decision of where a data center is built away from the residents who live near it. He has also pledged to fight for legislation in Congress mirroring Gov. Shapiro’s executive order on data centers. Local control and ratepayer protection are the through line of everything he has said on the issue.

Why Brooks Is the Right Choice on November 3

Allentown voters who want local residents, not Washington, deciding where data centers go, and who don’t want their electric bills subsidizing out-of-state corporations, should support Bob Brooks. His positions follow directly from a career spent fighting for working people in the Lehigh Valley. Register by October 19, 2026, and make your plan to vote on November 3.